Laundry apparatus



Jan. 14, 1930.

J. s. PA'r-rERsoN 1,743,799

LAUNDRY i APPARATUS Filed Aug. 20. 192'7v Patented Jan. 14, 1930 UNITEDSTATES JOHN s. PATTERSON, or inistrI Nonrnronr, Nnwyonr;

LAUNDRY Arrsnnrus Application led August 20, 1927.Seria1v No. 214,245.

This invention relates to means whereby a plurality of items, placed insequence, may be treated and/or retained in bulk and thereafter removedin the order in which they have 5 been alined or loaded. Moreparticularly, it relates to means for retaining a plurality of bags,previously identified or numbered, in their sequential order, treatingthe same in bulk, and thereafter removing the bags in 10 the order inwhich they have been inserted in the treating vessel.

The object of this invention is tol pro-vide a vessel having meanswhereby a plurality of bags may be placed therein in sequence, retainedin such sequence during treatmentvof the bags, and thereafter removedfrom the vessel in the order of their insertion.

The invention is' particularly adapted for use in laundries where it isdesirable, because of the routine or system of correlation of thesimilarly identified bundles during the progress of their treatment, tohave the bags go through the various steps of laundering in aprearranged sequence so that at the end of the operation on each of thebundles similarly numbered, they may all be handled substantiallysimultaneously and in the same order.

In order to permit such procedure, I have provided, broadly, a rotatablecontainer having a central rod over which are made to slide identifyingpins to which are attached bags in sequential order. Upon completion oftreatment the container is made to revolve through an angle of 180degrees, whereupon the lowermost bag becomes the topmost and removal ofthe bags is effected in the order in which they have been inserted.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated a preferred embodimentof my invention.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation thereof, and

Fig. 2 is a vertical section therethrough.

The container 1 is rotatably mounted on supports 2 by means of studs 3,3, passing through bearings 4, '4, in the top of the supports 2, 2, andbearings 5, 5, in the sides of the container. The axis of rotation ismidway of the length of the container, and rotation thereof 1s preventedby the spring-actuated pins 6, (5, mounted in thesupports 2, 2, belowthe center off rotation, which engage bearings 7,77, attached tothecontainer.VV

The container is provided with end closures or` lids 8, 8, each having abayonet slot which engages-a-pin 10 on the side ofthe container. Eachlid is provided with a bearing 1l for the ends oflafro'd 1 2 that isarranged-centr-allfy ofthe container l.

Inpractice, the vessel'is placed in the position vshown inF-iga2. Thetop lid is removed and the identifying pins liy, comprising a safety pinto which is attached a keyed check, With its bagv 13 of apparel pendenttherefrom, is insertedoverlthe rod l2 andpermtted to slide down to thebottom, The same is done with succeeding bags until'the'container isfull whereupon, the-'lid is replaced; I Then it is desired' to-.reinovethe bags from the container, the pins 6, 6,"are retracted landthevessel'rotated vertically so that the bottom becomes. uppermost. The.heretofore upper bearingsf'," Y, will now. bein alinement with thepins', v6'. These pins are then released and permitted to enter thebearings 7 to pref vent further rotation of the vessel. The topmost lid8 being removed, the bags 12 may be removed in the order in which theyhave been inserted.

In order to insure that the operator shall not inadvertently attempt toempty the container without first up-ending it, I provide a guard,comprising diverging spring clips 1li at one end (what maybe called thefilling end of the container). past the clips 14 in a downwarddirection, but oler an obstacle to the upward movement of the pins (Fig.2). The operator must therefore turn the container to the dischargeposition, that is, through 180 degrees from the Fig. 2 position, beforethe bags can be conveniently removed; andso it is insured that bags comeout in the order in which they were put in.

In order to prevent filling the container from the discharge position, Iprovide on the rod a guard l5 similar to the guard 14 on the other endof the rod, but with the diverging ends of the guard toward the lid ofthe container. This permits removal of the bags l The pins 16 slidereadily from the container but prevents the filling of the containerfrom that end.

A preferred use of the apparatus described herein is in the transfer ofwashed clothing from the Washing department of a commercial laundry tothe various finishing departments such as the shirt department, the sockdepartment, etc., a separate containerV being used for each department.Now, suppose John Browns laundry has been Washed first and is beingseparated. The net containing John Browns shirts is placed rs't in thecon tainer for the shirt department, the net containing his socks isplaced first in the ccn-l tainer for the sock department, etc. The-useof the containers compels each finishing department to finish JohnBrovvns laundry first, and that of the other customers in their properorder. Thus all of John Browns laundry arrives simultaneously at thepacking department, thereby effecting a great saving in the time andspace that would other- Wise be required for sortingand packin I do notlimit myself tothe particular orm of apparatus illustrated and describedherein,

since the invention is susceptible of other embodiments or modicationsWhich come Within the scope of the invention, 'asdefined by myinvention.

Having described my invention, what claim is A support, a containerrotatable thereon in a substantially vertical plane, removable covers atboth ends of the container, and a centrally disposed rod supportedbetween said covers and detachable from either of said covers. f

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

' JOHN S. PATTERSON.

